Riding a bike is fun. It is also something you have to learn. I don’t remember learning to ride a bike, but I do remember sitting on a saddle strapped to the crossbar of my father’s bike when the family went out riding on a warm summer’s day. The wind in the hair and the safety of being with Dad was exciting.
I must have learned how to ride several years after that when I was given my own bike, and that gave me freedom. A girlfriend and I used to take our bikes and go for rides to many close-by destinations. Seeking out places on our own I feel sure taught me independence. Of course, in those days, there were more people on bicycles and less cars. Not as dangerous as the traffic is today.
Despite the traffic, riding a bicycle has many virtues. It teaches balance, judgement of speed and what others might do, it gets people outside in the fresh air and it is a means of getting from one place to another quicker than by walking. But the main thing is, it teaches the rider so much, as well as keeping them healthy.
All that peddling is great exercise, all those times when one rides up a hill, makes a person breath deeper, getting more oxygen in the lungs and through the body. These may sound like silly little things, but it helps with one’s breathing..
There are many places in the world where people can’t afford cars. In some cases, they ride motor bikes or scooters, which are cheaper. But the good old two-wheel bicycle, although not as fast, can definitely be seen as the healthier alternative. Why? Because the rider is working the body to make the bike move. It is the riders’ energy and force that keeps the bike upright and moving forward. You might notice that bikes do not reverse. It’s forward only. And that is a good analogy for life. Putting all one’s efforts into moving forward.
As a child a bicycle is the only means of transport that doesn’t require a licence. That doesn’t mean it is safe, and with the way traffic has increased over the decades, riding a bike can be a little dangerous, especially when road rules are not observed. But for a child they can travel further distances than they would if they were walking, and at the same time they are exercising and keeping healthy.
There is an interesting factor; as the child grows up and becomes a teenager, riding a bike is not cool. They want to get their drivers licence so they can keep up with the rest of their peers and friends. Bike riding is forgotten and the bicycle sits in a shed no longer being ridden. Unfortunately, this happens all too often.
Having the car is great for speed and showing those around you, you are the same as them, but what does it do to the health? That is why many people several years after becoming a driver, resurrect at bike from the shed and start riding to work.
Now there is no doubt, that the distance is not covered as quickly on a bike as it is in a car, but then a bicycle can slip into spaces, where cars cannot go. The use of bike lanes which have become a popular addition on roads helps the bike riders keep away from the main stream of cars, and makes their ride safer. But the pollution from the cars’ exhausts can be a problem, and where once the fresh air was the best part of riding a bike, now the air is not so fresh.
There has to be an answer, and I guess it depends where one lives, and how much traffic there is in the area. Having walked around back streets in many towns and cities I have noticed, that these streets don’t have through traffic. This makes these street perfect for bike riders. A bicycle can easily slip down these back streets, cutting off the main roads, and avoiding the build-up of cars and buses.
Now, I realise this isn’t going to work for every bike rider, but if one sat down and looked at a map, one would be able to find those back streets, and they can get through to their destination without using the main thoroughfares. This way, the view would be pleasanter, the air would be sweeter and the enjoyment higher for getting to the destination. Surely that’s the answer?
So many of us, just use the same route that the buses and cars that we forget there are smaller streets, not suitable for traffic but can be used by a bicycle. Some streets have bollards stopping the main flow of traffic, but the bollards don’t stop bicycles which can drive between and use those pleasant streets.
So, if you used to ride a bike when you were younger, and you now feel it is time to get back into riding, and maybe getting healthier, time to pull out the bicycle from the shed, give it a good clean and check up to see tyres, chains, gears and brakes are working. Then pull out a map and work out which streets will get you to your destination without using a main road, unless you have to.
Don’t think you will feel great instantly. All those muscles that haven’t been used for a while will let you know. But after a couple of weeks, they won’t worry you anymore, and you WILL feel healthier. Why not give it a go?
Julie Finch-Scally ©
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